News about Slave labour in the US (employment, illegal, border)

[Mooseketeer]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...cle3263500.ece

[evilnewbie]

Its interesting that with such horrible conditions, illegals keep coming across the border and begging for work in these areas... must be terrible for them to flee... and where do they flee? Right back here in the U.S.... so horrible.... on a side note, this article is written in a United Kingdom website...

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by evilnewbie

Its interesting that with such horrible conditions, illegals keep coming across the border and begging for work in these areas... must be terrible for them to flee... and where do they flee? Right back here in the U.S.... so horrible.... on a side note, this article is written in a United Kingdom website...

I am not sure quite what your point is ?
Are you saying "the Independent" lied about this and made it all up ?
Or that is is OK to treat human beings like slaves because they are illegal ?
I can't say I am surprised though, some people seem to consider others sub-human.

[Rita Mordio]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

I am not sure quite what your point is ?
Are you saying "the Independent" lied about this and made it all up ?
Or that is is OK to treat human beings like slaves because they are illegal ?
I can't say I am surprised though, some people seem to consider others sub-human.

I'm not going to say that they're lying.. but I think they're over-exaggerating to an extent. The following phrase keyed me in to their bias:

Fruit-pickers, who typically earn about $200 (£100) a week, are part of an unregulated system designed to keep food prices low and the plates of America's overweight families piled high.

In bold is the part that got me.

Also, near the end of the article, it is discussed that the buyers of the fruits picked should help pay the pickers more. It goes beyond the fact that the employer should be paying more.

But Burger King, which also buys its tomatoes in Immokalee, has so far refused to participate, threatening the entire scheme.

And the reason:

"At the end of the day, we don't employ the farmworkers so how can we pay them?"

Which I agree with, but the article is using its slant to make it seem like Burger King hates the fruit pickers. Hence the "Threatening the entire scheme" bit.

Overall, this article is very biased - and seems to take the story of a few and "spread it around" to make it seem like all fruit pickers get treated this way. Yes there are some bad, but I'm sure there are some that take really good care of their hired farm hands.

[Amaznjohn]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

I am not sure quite what your point is ?
Are you saying "the Independent" lied about this and made it all up ?
Or that is is OK to treat human beings like slaves because they are illegal ?
I can't say I am surprised though, some people seem to consider others sub-human.

I believe newbie's point is that, if its so horrible, why do they keep coming back. If not, then I'll take credit for that excellent point.

[katzenfreund]

They keep coming back because the conditions in their own country are even worse. That is NO EXCUSE to treat them the way they are treated over here. Since when are we always comparing ourselves to those who are worse? There will always be a place where it is worse.
I guess some people think it is ok to abuse people, as long as your are abusing a little less than "the other guys"....

[Amaznjohn]

Originally Posted by katzenfreund

They keep coming back because the conditions in their own country are even worse. That is NO EXCUSE to treat them the way they are treated over here. Since when are we always comparing ourselves to those who are worse? There will always be a place where it is worse.
I guess some people think it is ok to abuse people, as long as your are abusing a little less than "the other guys"....

As long as the employee and employer agree on an employment contract, noone should interfere.

[Mooseketeer]

Originally Posted by Amaznjohn

As long as the employee and employer agree on an employment contract, noone should interfere.

I am stunned that some so lack compassion that they genuinely believe people "agree" to being slaves. Did any of you ever think they might not have had any choice ? Due to whatever personal circumstances have befallen them. That because some people feel they have no other choices does not mean they consent or agree to being abused.

I guess I should be shocked by the response but I'm not really, I should know better than expect empathy, and a modicum of social justice from some quarters.
Treating people like animals is obviously OK, I mean they agreed to it right?

Who shouldn't be beaten or treated like a sub-human when their lives are obviously worthless.

I can only hope that some of you will one day get a taste of your own medicine. Sadly fat chance of that.

Thanks for confirming a typical stereotype of the American Neo-Con though. Not so much a stereotype as true to type.

Freedom and Democracy my foot.

[Amaznjohn]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

I am stunned that some so lack compassion that they genuinely believe people "agree" to being slaves. Did any of you ever think they might not have had any choice ? Due to whatever personal circumstances have befallen them. That because some people feel they have no other choices does not mean they consent or agree to being abused.

I guess I should be shocked by the response but I'm not really, I should know better than expect empathy, and a modicum of social justice from some quarters.
Treating people like animals is obviously OK, I mean they agreed to it right?

Who shouldn't be beaten or treated like a sub-human when their lives are obviously worthless.

I can only hope that some of you will one day get a taste of your own medicine. Sadly fat chance of that.

Thanks for confirming a typical stereotype of the American Neo-Con though. Not so much a stereotype as true to type.

Freedom and Democracy my foot.

I don't believe in forced labor, thus my emphasis on "agree". In the U.S. everyone has a choice. Some just make bad ones.

[GregW]

QUOTE=Amaznjohn;2299364]As long as the employee and employer agree on an employment contract, noone should interfere.[/quote]

So long a employee and employer have equal opportunity to say no. As equality almost never happens, in our inherently coercive system, this is an untrue statement. The prospective employee must always be supported in these negotiations in order to assure fair results. This is why workers form unions to equalize the economic power. If we need workers for these tasks and we are not growing enough of our own we should legally import the workers and have them represented by specific unions.

Unfortunately the current system favors the be slavers.

I will response to second point. Not everyone has a choice. Most are coerced (forced) to take whatever job is available at whatever pay is offered. What the hell do you think Reganomics and the Neo-cons are all about. They have successfully destroyed the choice in our system and replaced it with economic coercion. "Live free or die" is literal, these people will let others die because they are nor economically useful and willing to work for nearly nothing.

Employee and employer equality is one of the biggest myths in our system. It is believed by many and practiced by few.